In order to commemorate World Food Day, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, under the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, organised the Food Tech Summit today. The Food Tech Summit 2021 aimed at setting the stage for all food-tech stakeholders to impart, discuss and acquaint micro enterprises on the new emerging trends in food processing and technological innovation.
Minhaj Alam, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries addressed the Food Tech Summit and highlighted the importance of the micro food processing sector as the growth driver of the Indian economy and through the PMFME Scheme the government’s efforts to encourage food processing in India.
The summit witnessed the presence of eminent industry speakers sharing insightful pieces for micro enterprises and to pave a way in the food processing sector at the domestic and global level.
Among the distinguished speakers were, Dr. Prasun Kumar Das, Secretary General, Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA), who spoke about the “Role of small food enterprises in achieving food security – India vs. Global Perspective.” Dr. Prabodh Halde Head- Regulatory and Government Affairs, Marico India, conducted a session on “Indigenous Food – Scale, Market and its Processing in Micro Industries.”
The session on “New Generation Food and Technology / Recent Trends (RTE/Convenient Foods)” was taken by Anand Chordia, Director – Technology & Innovation from Pravin Masale, (ONESuhana). Bidyut Baruah, Assistant General Manager, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), took a session on “Export Potential Food Products and its Scope in Micro Food Industries.”
The session on “Infrastructure and logistic Interventions for Micro Food Processing Industries” was taken by Vivek Jha, Associate Director – Government and Public Services, KPMG Advisory Service. Akhilesh Gupta, Assistant Director – Regulatory Compliance Division, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), took the session on “Regulatory Compliances, Challenges & Solutions for Micro Industries.”
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Tonisha Dixit, National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Thanjavur took the session on “Introduction on PMFME scheme and process for applying online form for interested enterprises/groups.”
The Food Tech Summit organised on World Food Day is one of a kind initiative by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries along with the support of the industry experts to educate and guide the stakeholders to make informed decisions in order to scale up their food business in the present scenario.
In addition to the participation of the various guest speakers, the summit saw the participation of government officials from across the states and also the food processing micro enterprises. It was hosted live successfully and witnessed the vast participation of all stakeholders.
PMFME scheme
The Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme that aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganised segment of the food processing industry and to promote formalisation of the sector and provide support to farmer producer organisations, self-help groups, and producer cooperatives along their entire value chain. With an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the scheme envisions to directly assist the 200,000 micro food processing units for providing financial, technical, and business support for upgradation of existing micro food processing enterprises.
